Olympians, Record-Holders to Line Up for Inaugural B.A.A. Invitational Mile

19 top professional milers, local scholastic stars will race the day
before 113th Boston Marathon

By: BAA Press Release
April 9, 2009

Boston, Mass. --  Six Olympians, a trio of national-record holders and
a three-time U.S. champion are among the professional athletes set to
compete in the debut of the B.A.A. Invitational Mile on April 19, the
Boston Athletic Association announced today.

The Invitational Mile, to be held in conjunction with the inaugural
B.A.A. 5K the day before the 113th Boston Marathon, will feature mile
races for professional men and women, plus mile races for scholastic
girls and boys from Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley,
Newton, Brookline and Boston - the eight cities and towns along the
Boston Marathon course. The races, which will be run criterium-style
in the Back Bay, will begin and end at the Boston Marathon finish
line.

Headlining the women's professional mile will be 2008 Olympic bronze
medalist Shalane Flanagan, a native of Marblehead, Mass.  Flanagan,
27, won the bronze medal at 10,000 meters in Beijing and holds four
American records.

Flanagan will be challenged by a trio of top American milers: Anna
Willard, a 2008 Olympian in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and reigning
U.S. Indoor Champion at 1,500 meters; Erin Donohue, a 2008 Olympian at
1,500 meters; and Lindsey Gallo, 1,500-meter runner-up at the 2006
U.S. Outdoor Championships and 2009 Boston Indoor Games mile champion.
Willard is a native of Greenwood, Maine.

Challenging them for the win will be Amy Mortimer, winner of the 2008
Falmouth Mile; Michelle Sikes, who represented the U.S. at the 2007
World Championships; Marina Muncan, the Serbian national-record
holder; and Carrie Tollefson, a 2004 Olympian at 1,500 meters.

Leading the roster in the professional men's race are Rob Myers, a
three-time U.S. Indoor Champion at 1,500 meters;  Ireland's Alistair
Cragg, a two-time Olympian; and Adam Goucher, a 2000 Olympian and
husband of Kara Goucher, the top American woman in the field for the
next day's Boston Marathon.

Providing tough competition will be Pablo Solares, Mexico's
national-record holder at 1,500 meters; Jon Rankin, winner of the 2008
Falmouth Mile; Steve Sherer, third at the 2008 U.S. indoor
championships; Darren Brown, former University of Texas star; Bret
Schoolmeester, former standout at the University of Colorado; John
Richardson, a top miler just out of the University of Kentucky;
Patrick Tarpy, a local favorite from Providence; and Jonathon
Blackledge of Great Britain, who competes for Oxford University.

Total prize purse for professional miles is $14,500 divided equally
between men and women, including $3,000 for the champion.

The series of races in the B.A.A. Invitational Mile will begin with
the girls' scholastic race at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, April 19, immediately
after the B.A.A. 5K, a new road race that will begin at 8 a.m. The
mile will follow a three-loop course, beginning on Boylston Street,
left on Dartmouth Street, left on Newbury Street, left on Exeter
Street then left onto Boylston. Both the 5K and Mile will begin on
Boylston Street near Copley Square Park, and end at the Boston
Marathon finish line. Registration for the 5K is available at
www.baa.org; the field is limited to 4,000 runners and is filling up
fast.

Additional information about the B.A.A. Invitational Mile, the B.A.A.
5K, the Boston Marathon and the Boston Athletic Association can be
found online at www.baa.org.

About Boston Athletic Association
Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit
organization with a mission of managing athletic events and promoting
a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A.'s
Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon, and the
organization manages other local events, including the B.A.A. Half
Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund,
and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round running
programs. Since 1986, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon has
been John Hancock Financial.